All about chalazia

ALL ABOUT CHALAZIA

What is chalazia? 

chalazion is a small swelling or lump on your eyelid because of a blocked gland. They’re called chalazia if you have more than one. A chalazion is one of the most common types of eyelid lumps.

Chalazia are most likely to happen on your upper eyelid. You can get them on both eyes at once. Chalazia often go away and come back.

Chalazion Symptoms

A chalazion starts with a small area that may be red, swollen, and sore or painful when touched. After a few days, the pain usually goes away, and a bump or lump remains.

You may also have:

• Watery eyes
• Mild eye irritation
• Blurry vision

Chalazion Causes

You have glands throughout your body. They make things that your cells, tissues, and organs need to work the way they should

meibomian glands in your upper and lower eyelids make oil that mixes with your tears to moisten and protect your eyes. If the oil gets too thick or if the glands are blocked because of inflammation, you may get a chalazion.

Rarely, an infection can cause a chalazion.

Chalazion Risk Factors

Chalazia happen more often in adults than children. They might be more likely if you have:

• Eyelid inflammation (blepharitis)
• A skin condition like seborrheic dermatitis or acne rosacea
• Another health condition such as diabetes
• Had a chalazion before

Chalazion vs. Stye

It can be hard to tell a chalazion from a stye, another kind of eyelid bump that’s caused by an infection.

Styes happen along the edge of your eyelid, sometimes in the base of an eyelash, but chalazia are usually toward the middle of the lid. A stye is more likely to be painful. It also tends to have a yellowish spot at the center that may burst after a few days.

A stye can become a chalazion if the infection goes away and leaves material stuck in the gland.

How do health care professionals diagnose a chalazion?

A doctor uses a patient's medical history and the finding of a firm painless lump in one of the eyelids to diagnose a chalazion. This diagnosis can be made by inspection with a penlight and some source of magnification together with palpation (feeling) of the lump. The diagnosis of a chalazion includes investigating other causes of lid lumps, including benign and malinga growths, such as basal cell. Your physician will suggest a biopsy if he or she suspects that the lump might be a tumor